Connecting to earth

This week in class I’ll be focusing on the earth element. Everything we do, everything that we are, and all that we want to become depends on earth energy. 

In the literal sense, a healthy earth means that everything else is thriving. Plants are able to grow and provide oxygen and nutrients to sustain ecosystems. Earth provides safety and respite for our physical bodies, as we recharge in homes built on its solid foundation. Just like we cannot survive without a planet to call home, we are nothing without a safe and healthy body. 

Earth is the base upon which we can take care of ourselves to give back to the world around us. When we allow ourselves to rest, we conserve the energy we need to help others. When we eat nutritious foods and exercise, we ensure that we are able to show up for the people we love. Spending time away from work allows us to come back with motivation and creativity.

Energetically, Earth is associated with the root chakra (Muladhara) and a connection to stability. When we feel safe and secure, we are able to connect to others, pursue our passions, and enjoy moments of stillness. But a lack of emotional security can trigger our fight or flight response, causing fear, anxiety, and nightmares. 

Often, when we experience this, our first instinct is to protect our minds by keeping busy or numbing our feelings with things like material possessions or substances. However, this only pushes us further away from our emotions — instead of processing how we feel and learning how to regulate those feelings, we replace the feeling with something fleeting. And, as those feelings continue to live inside us and grow, we’ll continue to need more of whatever it is that we are distracting ourselves with. 

Balancing our earth energy requires looking inward. It is loving and trusting our bodies, the vessels of our minds and spirits. It is journaling for 10 minutes first thing in the morning or taking a quiet walk outside and noticing how we feel. It is being alone with our thoughts and feeling safe there. Without this, we are nothing. 

Affirmations for earth energy:

The earth supports me.

I am safe in my body.

I am all that I need.

Class playlist:

Love + light.

Lex